Residents in Vernon, BC Voice Outrage Over New Rules Enforced at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Petition With Over 1,000 Signatures Circulated
Residents in Vernon, British Columbia have been displaying their outrage over the recent rules enforced at Pleasant Valley Cemetery. The petition against these changes has gained over 1,000 names in less than a week and is asking for a reversal of the policy.
At this cemetery, the city has imposed restrictions on which types of floral arrangements can be placed on gravesites. Only fresh-cut flower arrangements are allowed between March 15th to October 15th, while during winter only potted plants, wreaths and artificial flowers are permitted. Moreover, no toys, photos or trinkets may be put up at any point of the year and personal memorial items from prior to March 14th have already been removed due to the grace period ending then.
The individual responsible for creating the Change.org petition is Joseph Langlois who argued that this was not a thoughtfully planned decision and should be reversed so that people could mourn their loved ones without “restraints”. The petition has since taken off and as of Tuesday afternoon had amassed 1,169 signatures.
Vernon officials claim that they understand why families would want to honor deceased relatives through token placements on gravesites, but want everyone to understand that such restrictions are similar to those found in other communities throughout BC and Canada too. They do permit funeral flowers of all varieties on the day of the service and seven days afterwards as well as other restrictions regarding wreaths or other decorations being placed outside of designated areas.
You can view and sign the petition here: Change.Org
